FAQ: What is a second marriage-based green card interview called a Stokes Interview?
What is a Stokes Interview? What does it mean if after our first immigration interview, we got another appointment notice called a Stokes?
If you are applying for a marriage-based immigration benefit, you usually have one interview with an immigration officer. This interview would be with both spouses together and is a time to answer questions and demonstrate evidence of a bona fide marriage. If after this interview the Immigration Officer has doubts that you have a bona fide marriage, you will be scheduled for a second interview, called a Stokes Interview.
What happens during a Stokes Interview?
A Stokes interview is very different from a regular first interview. While both you and your spouse will initially be together to provide any additional documents that you may have, the Officer will then have the petitioner (the US citizen or green card holder) go to the waiting room and will ask a series of questions to the beneficiary. Through this questioning, the Officer elicits information that they will then later ask of the petitioner. When the Officer is finished interviewing the beneficiary, they lead the beneficiary to the waiting room and question the petitioner alone to see if all of the answers to the questions match.
After, the Officer will again have both the petitioner and beneficiary in the same room. If all of the answers were the same, or if there were only minor inconsistencies (different answers), then the Officer may decide that the testimony demonstrated a bona fide marriage. If the Officer believes the inconsistencies are significant, you will have an opportunity to explain why your answers are different.
What types of questions will be asked during a Stokes Interview?
The questions asked in a Stokes interview are usually about your family, home, and day-to-day life. For example, the Officer may ask about your children, what school they go to, who a better student is, if you ever had to go to the school to talk to a teacher or principal, and other details such as their hobbies and who their friends are. In terms of your home, they may ask about the layout of your apartment and your apartment building, whether you know your neighbors, who your neighbors are, whether you have a television in certain rooms, and other details about your home. For your day-to-day life, it can vary from your spouse’s employment, to what time they got home last night, who got up earlier the day of the interview, and what you ate for dinner or breakfast. In short, it’s quite detailed.
I have a real marriage, but we were asked to attend a second interview? Is this normal?
Sometimes people who have bona fide marriages still fail a Stokes interview. This can be for a number of reasons. Perhaps you didn’t understand the question or you didn’t listen to it carefully. Perhaps you didn’t give a full or correct answer because you were embarrassed to. Perhaps you know someone by a nickname and your spouse knows them by another name. Or perhaps you have memory problems that prevent you from being able to accurately recall certain details.
If you are scheduled for a Stokes interview it is important to prepare for it; it is impossible to predict the questions that you will be asked, but practicing it can prepare you for what to expect and can also reveal ways in which you might answer questions that can create confusion.
If you have been scheduled for a Stokes interview, or if you are just starting a marriage-based immigration petition, don’t hesitate to contact us for a consultation. We are here to help. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Tumblr, for up-to-date immigration news.
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